Beauty Queen
by XxLadyStrengthxX
Summary: The cops never needed to talk to Aria that night, so she and Ezra Fitz get to have their full-out reenactment of the day they met... - Pure Ezria one year anniversary fluff!


**A/N: I hope no one already has done this, because I haven't been reading much of the forum lately to notice...so my sincere apologies; I'm not stealing this from anyone. I was brushing my teeth before bed and this popped into my head (heehee, rhyme!) and I just had to try it! **

**Disclaimer: Nothing. I own nothing.**

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I twirl in front of the mirror giddily, inspecting my outfit for what seems like the hundredth time in five minutes. I'm surprised that I still have every article of clothing from that day exactly one year ago. The dark dress of pink, blue, and gray with the jet black leather jacket, my boots, and even the simple earrings that hung from my lobes that day were still locked away in my jewelry box.

I'm not usually a hoarder, but when it comes to my clothes, then there's an exception. People normally hate wearing an outfit more than once, but I enjoy spicing things up a bit by keeping it all and forming a completely new outfit with it later. A dress could look good with ten different pairs of earrings, or shoes, if you played your cards right.

I don't know; taking fashion risks seems to be my talent.

My hair is straight, only because I chopped it all off recently and can't seem to win the battle when trying to curl the damn mess on my head. Why did I listen to Hanna again?

"Cut your hair short with me!" she said.

"It will be super cute!" she said.

Yeah, it's cute, but super difficult to style now. But anyway, it's straight for tonight mainly because that's how it was a year ago. I smile at my reflection, pleased with my results, before grabbing my purse and heading for my car.

I arrive at the Hollis Bar & Grill in no time and exit my car with a shaky breath. I want tonight to be perfect; I want it to be precisely the way we met...

I enter the bar silently, readjusting the strap of my bag higher onto my shoulder. I survey the room to find it empty, in which I am grateful. Less people will make this night go along smoothly.

And then I spot him.

Sitting on a bar stool, reading a book, and a lightly touched scotch placed before him on the counter. I so badly want to run up behind him and wrap my arms around his waist, but I have to keep my composure. This is a reenactment of our first meeting.

No screwing up, Aria.

None.

I saunter over to a barstool near him, keeping in mind that there was one seat between us when I had first sat down a year ago. We lock eyes momentarily as I sit down, but then immediately look away as if nothing had happened.

After settled, I let out a huff of exasperation. This is going to be harder than I thought...

"Can I get a cheeseburger, please?" I ask, as that was what I had ordered. Plus, their cheeseburgers are delicious.

"You got it," the bartender replied. The same guy from a year ago with his infamous catch phrase. Now, I wonder if Ezra had something to do with his work schedule today...

As I ponder on the bartender's work hours, there is still silence between the two of us, though I'm not exactly sure if it's silence or mainly tension. Suddenly, Ezra clears his throat loudly.

Yeah, it's most definitely tension.

I avoid another awkward eye-contact encounter by looking at the bulletin board on my left. I scowl at the biggest ad pinned up: a newsletter of the missing body of Alison DiLaurentis.

My scowl turns into a frown when I realized that only a year ago a piece of paper showed Alison as a missing person, and now it's a missing dead body. I shudder at the thought, considering the police don't have any leads and we might actually be the criminals without really knowing it.

I'm pulled out of my own world by Ezra's voice, "You alright down there?"

I almost smile too widely at his words, but instead reply with, "Yeah, sorry, I just got home from Europe. A bit jet-lagged, you know."

He turns the page of his book while asking, "Where?"

"Iceland," I answer boringly, as if it's not a big deal.

Ezra picks up his scotch and examines the glass, probably thinking of what came next this time last year. His eyes widen in remembrance. "I spent some time in Reykjavik, before I went to Amsterdam... Great city!" he adds cheerfully at the end with a charming grin.

I lick my lips as he smiles and almost forget to speak, that is until he raises his eyebrow at me curiously. "Uh...Hollis! Do you go there – err, here?"

Dammit, Aria. Pull yourself together!

Ezra smiles again. "Just graduated actually, and I got a teaching job."

Teaching job...Rosewood High School, before he resigned for me to go to Hollis…where he got fired because of me. Right, got it.

And then I had said something that Ezra thought I only brought up in order to flirt: "Teaching, yeah, I think I'd like to do that, too."

Ezra seems to ignore my 'flirting' by adverting his attention to the jukebox across the bar. I become alert to the song playing lightly in the atmosphere and blurt out in realization, "God, I love this song!"

"B-26," Ezra responds immediately, a glint in his eye. I stare back at him, again so badly just wanting to kiss him, but I resist with all my will-power. Luckily, he grasps my attention again by asking, "What's your major?"

"English, I think would be nice."

He chuckles a disbelieving laugh. "That's what I'm teaching."

If only he had known a year ago that he would be teaching me...

I smile. "I like to write too, but mainly for myself..."

Ezra stands, scotch in hand, and shifts to the barstool next to mine. "I never could write for me. But I'm impressed by you; I mean, that's passion. Can I read some of it, maybe?"

I'm impressed by how accurate this reenactment is going. But I should have known because it was Ezra's idea, which he was going to go full-out to make this night memorable.

"Would you want too?" I ask in shock, mimicking my once reaction.

"Yeah, I mean, you've traveled, got great taste in music, you're smart and beautiful..." Ezra trails off, bringing a hand to my face to brush my hair lovingly. I notice his attempted curled hair, but just not quite long enough, and then there's his stubble. Oh, I remember running my hands along his stubble last year…

My breathing becomes ragged as his expression changes instantly. He's slowly transforming out of our roleplaying for the night, and my current boyfriend is beginning to reveal himself once again.

I gulp as his hand grazes my cheek lightly and he smiles tenderly. He whispers in the most perfect voice I've ever heard, "I'd like to know more about you."

His hand grasps the back of my neck as his face inches closer to mine. Uneasily, I'm able to say, "I-I'd like to know more about you, too..."

Ezra says nothing as he stands from his seat and guides me down from mine. This entire time, our eyes have never left each other's, and I eventually feel his arms gather me at my waist.

Our lips are nearly touching when he breathes, "I think this is the part where we migrate to the bathroom, don't you think?"

I giggle, weaving my arms around his neck tightly and pressing the warmth of my body against his. "I believe so, Mr. Fitz."

Ezra grins like a child on Christmas morning. "I love you so much, Aria."

"I love you, too," I say as our noses touch affectionately. And before I can even get another word out of my mouth, Ezra is picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder.

I laugh loudly when realizing he's carrying me in the direction of the bathroom, in order to end the night in the correct fashion. He sets me down on the counter and doesn't hesitate to attack my lips with his, and I respond by wrapping my legs around his waist.

And as the year before, we continue to kiss like there's no tomorrow; like this may be the last time we ever see each other. But we both know better, because the past year has been a relationship roller coaster for the both of us, and we overcame it even with all the ups and downs.

However, there's confidence in our kissing this year, as well as reassurance, adoration, lust, and most importantly...love.

Love fills in the gaps of our emptiness, now making us whole.

And for the second year in a row, the cheeseburger and scotch are long forgotten while we have our moment in the Snooker's bathroom...but they'll always be a key part to the beginning of a beautiful memory for years to come.

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**A/N: Done! I had to do some major "Pilot" episode watching in order to write this! It's not my best work because it's late and I wanna go to sleep, but I still wanted to take a crack at it! **

**Please review! It would be an awesome way to boost my spirits as I start my new job tomorrow! :)**

**Y'all are the reason I write, remember that!**

**Thanks!**

**XxLadyStrengthxX**


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